Bad experience at Grendel's Den

Took my friend from Michigan to Grendel's Den in Harvard Square expecting to have somewhat of a decent experience for cheap. We went during their noted "half-price" hours - as in, the food bill is half-off if you purchase a drink.

The waitress was very rude and sullen. I realize that they place was probably understaffed that night, but such blatant rudeness is inexcusable. My Greek salad with steak tips was dry and uninspiring, and my simple request for a piece of bread was ignored. The tomato soup was a greasy bowl of something that tasted like Spaggetti-Os sauce. Two other times our waitress ignored or forgot our requests, and walked by three times even after we'd tried to get her attention. The check took 20 minutes to prepare.

Personally, I'd hate to work there during that happy hour. I could be wrong, but I'll bet at least 50% or more of the patrons don't tip on the full price, which makes them 100% cheap. I'd get tired of working in those conditons too.

Lol, as a matter of fact they even have a disclaimer on their half-price menus saying that the service is still doing a full-price job. Not surprising that they need to put that there.

In any case, contrary to many of the sentiments on this board, I've been a long time fan of Grendel's. No, it's not the greatest food in the world, and yes the service does suck sometimes, but it's a comfortable and cheap place with reliable nachos and great drinks (and awesome people watching!)

I've had a bunch of credible sandwiches at Grendel's outside of happy hour ... I am a sandwich guy and have never had a reason to unwrap my hazmat suit when going to Grendel's. In fact, I like it there.

Were you expecting a good experience at Grendel's? My one experience there years ago had me wishing for a hazmat suit.

Next time for decent food and drinks without breaking the bank, why not go to Redline or Grafton Street or Daedalus - they're all decent. Or the Forest Cafe or Cambridge Common. Or Charlie's Kitchen even for a different vibe - they sure mix a strong cocktail there and the food is decent and inexpensive.

My friends and I would primarily go there for happy hour, for the aforementioned 1/2 priced food when we'd need to eat something before late-night meetings. No, it's not the greatest dining in the world, thought what we've gotten has generally been halfway decent (generally, the spinach/artichoke/crab? dip and the fish of the day), and we've always been lucky enough to get great service. No, I generally would not choose to eat there, but given that we'd generally not have a ton of time before meetings, and everyone wanted cheap food, it served the bill quite nicely.

I go to Grendel's regularly, and the service is always bad and the food is always so-so. The only thing I've ever really fallen in love with there is the portabella rueben, and the nachos are good too. The other food isn't terrible, but it's only average.

So why bother? Life is too short to waste on bad food. You deserve better!

I like the plain nachos at The Forest because they get them piping hot and nice and brown on top. IIRC they were 5 bucks on their lunch menu, too. Add in a side of jalapenos and you just can't beat it.

Because the food and drinks are both cheap. I love great food, but I also work in social services which means I make no money, so I've got to make some cuts. There's something about the environment of Grendel's that I kind of dig and the fact that I can get a beer and an appetizer for less than 5 bucks is a steal even if I have to make some sacrifices.

Why all the Grendal's hate folks? I've been to Grendal's a ton of times and the food is usually graded at "A gentlemans B", which by the Harvard standard is enough to not make the institution second rate, but is more than enough to make the student look like a slacker. In other words the food is just 'meh', but gets by because the grade scale is based on the ultra cheap. I find it best to go there for the $10 beer pitcher of sangria..it's oh sooo sweet and drunky...

Also...what other bar/restaurant can you go to that argued and won a case before the supreme court?